My first visit to Minnesota was in 1991 when I went on a bike tour with a crazy bunch of high school and college aged folks. It was a ten-day tour through the southeastern portion of the state. I barely made it into the Twin Cities, but from that moment, I was in love. Maybe [...]
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Weaner
Oh, weaning. I’ve been mulling over this post for awhile now. I’m right there with Leah on the topic of weaning a toddler. And silly me for thinking I had it all figured out when it came to breastfeeding. Sophie’s fourteen months old and not showing many signs of letting up. Honestly, I thought she’d [...]
YoBaby is a YoMess
Sophie’s been fascinated by the refrigerator. See, Mom? She IS my child. I mean, can you blame her? A magic box filled with treats! And plastic containers! And bags of things that spill all over the floor! And best of all, yogurt!
Twenties
This was a challenging week food and exercise-wise, so I’m surprised and happy to see that my body’s still shedding unnecessary weight. It was my highest mileage week to date (21 miles over four days) and also the highest calorie-wise. I blame the graham crackers.
Suits, Cake, and Me Time
April 3, 2008 was the last day I wore this suit, and not comfortably. It fits. Nicely. I never thought I’d get back into this suit. Okay, maybe not never, but I feared it might be eaten by moths by the time it happened. the same moths, by the way, who have been munching on a few of my J.Crew cashmere sweaters. Let’s just say I’m not feeling very charitable toward bugs at the moment.
It turned out I needed to lose 14 pounds. That’s it! Why didn’t I do this sooner?
A girl and her birthday cake
A little late, but I managed to transfer this before my Flip camera went all goofy on me. Enjoy. Sophia’s First Birthday from Amy Krause on Vimeo.
Hello, 130s! (and the kid turns one)
I’m a little giddy this morning. I stepped on the scale twice, because I couldn’t believe it was telling the truth. I’m not surprised as it’s been in the 90s here for a few days, which is very atypical of U.P. weather. We don’t have air conditioning, which means we get home, turn off the lights, keep the house closed and hunker down.
Mother in a Supporting Role
The other night Sophie had a fever. It started as a low-grade thing, not a big deal. It climbed steadily until it peaked at around 103. No real signs of distress, just a little lethargic. Of course, her father and I laid awake in the wee hours, making sure it didn’t get any higher. I [...]
Sick day
This morning when I woke up I felt the beginnings of some sort of stomach bug. I dropped Sophie off at daycare and still ventured in to work because that’s just the kind of dedicated worker I am. I hardly ever feel nauseous. My stomach and intestinal woes usually do not manifest themselves this way. [...]
The Adventures of a Skinny Kid: Weighing In
It’s been a month since we were told by the pediatrician that our daughter was too skinny and that my boobs were inferior. Yesterday we went back to the doctor so that she could have a weight check. I thought this was stupid, as we were in there two weeks ago for her lovely cough; [...]
She seems normal to me
Living in a small town, you don’t have a lot of choices when it comes to pediatricians. Fortunately, Scott had been through this three times already with his older kids. He had taken all of the kids to the same pediatrician and was pleased. When Sophie was born, she was the only game in town, [...]
Exercising her independence and making her mother a little crazy
So I really wasn’t ready for this whole Miss Independent Thing to happen so early. I figured I had a few years before she started asking for the car keys and permission to go backpacking across Europe. We are now at the age of Let Me Do It Myself. The latest development? The child with [...]
Just when I was getting the hang of this
Being a mother of a baby isn’t so bad. Of course, it hasn’t been easy. There’s been the sleep deprivation. Coming to grips with the physical aftermath of childbirth. The identity shift. The new and terrifying responsibility of a brand new life. The sleep deprivation. The first time I held her in my arms, I [...]
Turns out Mom was telling the truth
I am the eldest of four children; my brother and I are adopted from Korea. (My mother gave birth to my two sisters later.) She always told us that she “loved all of us the same,” regardless of whether we were her adopted or biological children. I mostly believed her. I didn’t think about the [...]
If only parenting effort counted as cardio
Everything is harder when you have a kid. Last night I stayed home from hockey. It was for a multitude of reasons: not feeling well, not wanting to brave the sub-zero windchill and snowy roads, a daughter who was cranky from teething and didn’t quite seem herself (she projectile vomited all over her dad later [...]
I think we’ll be okay
YOU’RE DOING IT ALL WRONG My almost seven month old infant does not sleep through the night. I have no idea if she should be by now. I’m sure this is something I could read in a book or one of those books of ads parenting magazines, but I’ve sworn off of the dumb things. [...]
Six months
Before Sophie was born and I was slogging through my pregnancy, I was very concerned about how long it would take before I was back to my old self. Like most, I was mostly concerned with the baby weight I’d put on (30 lbs in my case) and feared I’d never be able to lose [...]
Has it been too long since childbirth to blame this on hormones?
Okay, so I forgot Scott’s birthday. Sort of. It’s not like I didn’t know which date it was (Nov 8). It’s that I didn’t realize that day was TODAY. If only I had logged on to Facebook this morning. Those little birthday reminders? It would have told me, “Hey idiot, today happens to be the [...]
Adventures in Nursing: Taking my show on the road
My Medela has temporarily bit it. This is a huge inconvenience, being only five months and change into this whole breastfeeding the baby gig. The problem isn’t with the motor but with the faceplate. One of the nozzledoohickey things has cracked, making dual pumping impossible and single side pumping not a whole lot easier. Using [...]
Thinking Luther would be proud
Hosting ten family members for a weekend can be a little draining. Thankfully, my body decided to cut me some slack and not go into swine cold lockdown until we were waving goodbye as they left on Monday morning. I had a short emotional meltdown for about ten minutes as my mom drove away, which [...]
Initiation
Sunday we are having Sophie baptized by our minister, who also happens to be one of our very good friends. I know that by typing that sentence, I have probably unleashed a huge can of HOW DARE YOU worms, but yeah, we’re totally doing it. White dress (the one my mother and I wore for [...]
Someone talk me down from the crazy ledge, or at least hold my hand while I’m up here
It seems that overnight my baby has gone from adorable and immobile drooling infant to shrieking, rolling, and almost ready to crawl off on her first date. And she’s eating cereal like the world is coming to an end tomorrow. How did this happen? “Hey, Mom! I just realized I can make these noises! And [...]
Score One for The Decider!
I’m a little embarrassed to admit that Sophie’s been sleeping in our bed since Day One. I do feel the need to point out that yes, I am aware of all the warnings about co-sleeping, just to save you the energy to type me up a nasty email. I should also point out that she [...]
The things they don’t tell you
When I was pregnant with Sophie, I devoured every piece of literature on pregnancy I could find. I was all about the “What to Expect” book. I read all of the stuff that the hospital birthing class gave us. I spent more time on baby websites than should be humanly allowed. And even though I [...]
Avoidance? Who, me?
When it comes to clothes, I am very predictable and boring. I shop at one store 80% of the time, because I know how things fit. The other 20% of my wardrobe (if you can even call it that) is made up of t-shirts and miscellaneous items purchased mainly from here and here. When I [...]
No pesticides were used in the writing of this post
So I dropped Sophie off at daycare today. I am wondering how long it will be before I get my first lecture from Crunchy Daycare Guy. Anyone want to take a guess? I should explain. The people we’ve chosen to try out are a tad on the granola side. And that’s totally cool. I respect [...]
Happy 100 Days
I grew up in a pretty white bread neighborhood. You’re practically handed a loaf of Wonder Bread when you enter the city. OK, so maybe I exaggerate, but until I was in junior high, I thought my brother and I were the only Asian kids in town, and we were certainly the only ones in [...]
Hardly a pioneer, but it’s still all new to me
Last night was not one of my most fun nights as a new parent. For some reason, Sophie was inconsolable. Scott had worked a long day and when he walked in the door, I was more than ready to hand her off so that I could finish getting some things ready for Sophie’s Baek-Il on [...]
Things worth remembering
I am chock full of unrelated thoughts these days. PATIENCE, GRASSHOPPER Some nights Sophie sleeps seven hours straight. Yes, you heard me. SEVEN HOURS. But lately? Not so much. We’re pretty used to having to get up once, usually around 4AM for a feeding. And you know, that’s not too bad. I can live with [...]
Time flies! (when you’re avoiding having to deal)
When I decided to make this trip to Detroit, I had a mostly defined return date in mind of about a week or so later. Eighteen days later, we’re still here. And while I’m really enjoying giving my parents the opportunity to spend some extended quality time with their granddaughter, I’ll admit I’m also being [...]
She makes [everything] better
We’ve barely had a minute to sit and breathe between all of the visits with friends and family. I haven’t even gotten any of the photos on Flickr, but soon. Hopefully, this will happen before she turns three. A lot of firsts on Sophia’s Tour of Detroit, including her first boat ride. Infant PFDs = [...]
Sophie hits the D
It’s been a long week. Thursday Sophie and I made a solo trek down to Detroit to introduce her to the rest of the family she hasn’t met. For those of you who don’t know, it’s essentially a 9.5 hr drive. Make that 10.5 with a baby.
Things I should be doing but I’m not
Right now, as Sophia is sleeping (after pooping after a three-day hiatus because wow, that can be EXHAUSTING), I should be catching some shut-eye, too. Especially since there is a good chance she’ll be wide awake at 2AM because she’s sleeping at 9:30PM. What am I doing? Getting in some rare all by myself computer [...]
Ready for a change
One of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn while being a new parent is that I’ve had to lower my expectations on a lot of things. Take the house, for example. It’s a mess. I had every intention to have it clean before we left for our weeklong vacation. We left later than expected [...]
Captivated
So many things I want to write about but time is practically nonexistent. I guess this is what living with a seven week old infant is like. Until then, check out the cuteness that is Sophia. I will be back soon.
Time has a way of making us forget the gory details
I’m about to say something absolutely crazy here, and my only explanation is that having a baby has completely turned my brain into a smothered pork chop. In a tiny way, I miss the feeling of being pregnant.
Today’s moment of spontaneous crying brought to you by Baby Gap.
Most of Sophie’s clothes are new, and hanging in the closet because the 3 mo old sizes are enormous on her, even at 9 lbs. I’ve been really fortunate to get a bunch of second hand stuff from friends and folks from church, some of it barely or never worn. I know some people are [...]
Month One
I probably would have missed Sophie’s one month milestone had I not read this Twitter post. In fact, when people were asking me how old she was, I would tell them three weeks. Because it really seemed like it had only been three weeks, not four. And honestly, it hadn’t even seemed like three. How [...]
Happy Father’s Day
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Ramblings of a changed woman
Having a baby has changed me. This might seem like a no-brainer to you, but I honestly did not think I would be changed when my child was born. I knew my routine would change. I knew I’d get less sleep, have less freedom, and maybe even like the kid who would be a part [...]
Settling in
It’s been over two weeks since we brought Sophia home from the hospital. Last week I caught myself thinking things like wow, a week ago you were squeezing the bejeezus out of Scott’s neck and shoulders during contractions or yeah, they were putting in the epidural right about now. Even though it wasn’t very long [...]
Although I should add I have never gone more than two days without showering
So it turns out that when you have a newborn at home, blogging is the last thing you have time for. Add in a bathroom remodel at the same time grandparents are visiting and well, it’s not going to happen. I should also add that my carpal tunnel (or whatever is going on in my [...]
Isolation
I’m still here. Babies who are nine days old don’t give one much time for blogging. The DSL hookup doesn’t happen until Wednesday (ugh, AT&T), and tapping out a post on my phone? Please. I use my phone these days for keeping track of nursing and dirty diapers and Twitter, my guilty indulgence these days. [...]
Hello!
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Hug-a-bub
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Boppy
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We survived after all
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Dude, I had a baby (Week 40)
In an unexpected turn of events at my doctor’s appointment this week, I was admitted due to low amnio fluid. Fourteen hours later, I got this. I may or may not post about the day’s events, so for now, here is what I know. Name: TBD DOB: 5/22/09 Time: 12:58AM Weight: 7 lbs, 4 oz [...]
Week 39
Less than two weeks out from due date. I don’t expect to post here much until then, because I am sick and tired and well, sick and tired of posting stupid weekly updates. And due to some apparent pregnancy induced carpal tunnel in my left arm/hand, it fucking hurts to type. So there.
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The week I finally get someone to clean the carpets (Week 38)
The biggest to-do on my list before the baby gets here is to clean the carpets. Simply put, we have two dogs who like to piss me off (sorry, bad pun). I always thought I’d be that mother who wouldn’t freak out about every little thing with the baby, but as the day gets closer, [...]
Week 37
According to my baby books, this week the baby is considered full term and “would probably thrive” if I gave birth now. Which is great news, but I’m not exactly packing the car yet (though I should probably have my bag packed). Back when I was about 20 weeks along and thought I couldn’t possibly [...]
Week 36
A woman at church on Sunday told me it looked like the baby had dropped. If only she meant dropped out of my body without me knowing. Alas, the baby is still doing a death grip on my bladder and very much still in utero. I’m constantly torn between wanting this whole pregnancy thing to [...]
I forgot about Week 34 (Week 35)
Wow, time sure flies when you’re growing a kid. I had started a post last week but there was nothing much noting. Then again, it’s possible I just don’t remember because I’m so freaking tired all of the time due to it being impossible to get a decent night’s sleep these days.
Week 33
Pregnancy doesn’t give you superpowers, but it does give you the ability to inhale food before you even know that you’ve, well, inhaled food. Like the egg salad sandwich I just ate in approximately 30 seconds.
Week 32
Sunday while we were sitting in church, the baby punched/kicked/tried to scrape her way out with so much force that it almost knocked me off my chair. I was remarking to a friend how my physical measurements haven’t really changed (hips, waist, boobs) but holy crap, has everything seemed to move upward. Before, any baby [...]
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Week 31
On my hit list today: The Pubes (aka Public Safety) for not giving a shit about the asshole who decided to straddle BOTH handicapped spaces in the parking lot with her SUV. If I have a ticket on my car when I leave today, they will experience the unbridled wrath of a third trimester pregnant [...]
Week 30
So it’s Week 30 and just like that, it seems that the baby has discovered how to contort her body in such a way that her feet are jammed up in my rib cage. It is as pleasant as it sounds. And when I say rib cage, I really mean the rib cage area, since [...]
Mine’s more of a “lay around and sleep” instinct
Just flipped through all of the previous weeks. Some of them are right on the money.
Week 29
I went for another doctor visit yesterday, a mere three weeks since my last one. They’re not a huge deal, just the usual Day of Reckoning as you step on the scale, pee-in-a-cup, listen to the heartbeat to make sure there’s still a baby in there, etc. I’ve finding them to be more of a [...]
Monday Morning, you sure look fine
This morning I got out of bed, put on my robe, and slipped on my shoes* to find that one of the dogs had peed not ON but INSIDE my left shoe. This is not exactly the Monday morning start I was hoping for. It also turns out that the corkbeds of these Birks are [...]
At least the Internet connection is fast
I’m five minutes into my three-hour glucose test. I haven’t eaten for about ten hours. Who the hell makes a pregnant woman fast for eight fucking hours? I’m here because I failed the one-hour test. If you’ve never taken one, you chug a really sweet drink (mine was orange flavored) and they take your blood [...]
The week I drive to Detroit, have a few panic attacks and get the worst head and throat bullshit cold known to man, AKA Week 28, AKA a really long fucking post.
As you know I’m spending some time with my family in (the) Detroit (area). As you may also know it’s been a long time since I’ve been here — a year. The last time I was able to make it down here, I was playing in a hockey tournament with the Tech Women’s team. We [...]
Week 27
I hesitate to even post an update this week because I am annoyed by everything and everyone. I’m even shutting comments off for this post because if you piss me off, I might react unfavorably, like launch this pair of scissors through the monitor. Or your face.
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Add this to the list of Things I’ve Never Done Before
I wore a maternity shirt out in public. To work, actually. While it’s been months since I had to ditch my normal pants, I’ve held out on maternity ANYTHING on top for a few reasons. One, it wasn’t something I was trying to advertise out in public. Two, everything I’ve tried on until this point [...]
Random thoughts during Week 26
I spent the rest of the morning after my doctor appointment freaked out about gestational diabetes. And then I got on a computer and did some reading. And I am not as freaked out anymore. But WTF, doc? Thank you for scaring the shit out of me this morning. Always a good thing on a [...]
Week 25
It seems like I have been eating nonstop since I got to work this morning. I’m blaming boredom, as this wonderful technical proposal I’m supposed to be reading just isn’t capturing my attention. What is, however, are the constant aches coming from the area near Ladytown, pressure that feels like Mysterio is trying to do [...]
Sidelined
Sewer Rats IM Hockey Clip from Amy K on Vimeo. Thought I would enjoy watching a hockey game last night. Many of the guys I play with in rental play on an IM team, a team that I was supposed to join this season now that I have my very special university I.D. card. I [...]
Week 24
There isn’t much to report other than this: The news is about to be unleashed up here and I am preparing myself for the onslaught. Putting your hand on your stomach and feeling something hard there instead of soft flab is, well, weird. Baby seems to be using my bladder as a soccer ball. I [...]
Week 22 (23)
One book says I’m in my 23rd week. I’m 22 weeks and two days. So call it what you wish. Last week I bought my first gift for the baby (if you don’t count the prenatal vitamins and antacid pills).
21 weeks
The weather here, like most of the Midwest, sucks. It’s freezing. Not just throw on a jacket and a pair of gloves freezing but dress in ten layers, wrap all skin so nothing is exposed and your eyelashes and nose freezes the moment you walk outside freezing. It is also possible that I’m just one [...]
The baby apparently needs stuff
My family is having a small shower-type thing for me in about a month, so I’m putting together a baby registry. And unlike a wedding registry, where it was fairly easy to go through the store and wave the gun at things I liked, this has been a slightly frustrating and almost painful experience. As [...]
20 weeks
Despite all of the outward signs, at times it’s easy for me to forget that I’m pregnant. This holiday season? Not so easy to forget, especially every time I had to pass on a glass of wine or a beer. Or look down at my breakfast and think, is that egg cooked enough? Should I [...]
Feeling connected
Vacation, it suits me. We’re at an undisclosed location in the St. Paul area for the rest of the week. This is the first time I’ve had non-work Internet access in almost a week. I’m thinking I would like to move in and live here. When I first moved north, I would actually look forward [...]
The countdown
Okay, so I’m here, working. And it’s not so bad. Really, the hardest part is getting up out of bed and out the door. But the crummy part? There is nothing to do. And I’m here for another… five hours. But there is Internet, which we most likely won’t have at the house until after [...]
Possibly crazy, but at least pulling in a steady paycheck
The morning did not start off particularly well, considering I dragged myself out of bed an hour later than when I should have. Which meant I was an hour later for work than I wanted, and then there were the two old bats driving 35 MPH down the highway. I can only hope that if [...]
17 Weeks
I survived two holiday parties last weekend, sans alcohol and only had to suffer through some secondhand smoke for about an hour. (No need to comment, I already feel like the worst mother in the world before the baby is even born for letting myself be talked into that situation.) It’s not about the booze. [...]
Wishing the baby would share some of the blood supply with my brain
This is how my brain works lately: Department potluck. I see the announcement in the office. I see the signup sheet and write down what I’m bringing. I get the reminder in my mailbox yesterday. I see the date: December 12. That would be today. Noon. But the reality? It’s not today. It was never [...]
The Land of You’ve Got To Be Kidding Me
I have bought a handful of items over the past ten years from Pottery Barn, meaning I am on their ten catalogs a month mailing list for life, it seems. Last week I received one from The Land of Nod. I had never heard of this place, and I’m still trying to figure out how [...]
You’ve been warned
I’d like to post a sign outside my cubicle that says: PREGNANT WOMAN INSIDE. DO NOT BRING YOUR ACADEMIA GRIPES WITHIN 100 FEET OR FEAR ITS WRATH. BETTER YET, JUST GET THE HELL AWAY. DON’T SAY YOU HAVEN’T BEEN WARNED.
Maybe I’m a runner after all
I slept terribly last night, the kind of sleep that leaves you feeling like you just went to bed, like you need about three more hours, even though the alarm is going off next to your face. I was told I tossed and turned all night, but I don’t really remember it. Finding a comfortable [...]
And now, the crippling anxiety
It’s possible I could be having some anxiety associated with this whole baby thing. My dreams have been, well, screwy for the past few months, but last night won the award. I was at some sort of event, and whether it was social or work-related I cannot remember. I don’t even remember where I was, [...]
Thank you for stating the obvious, and as it turns out, not so obvious to my lovely grandmother
It hadn’t occurred to me yesterday when I posted about the details of my current pregnancy that I might need to make some other things clear. I called my grandmother this morning to tell her the news; she was the last close relative who needed to be told (in my family), and I knew that [...]
The (not so) skinny
You may be wondering about my latest announcement, and so to be fair, here’s the rundown, or at least what I know so far. Weeks along: 15? Today is 15 weeks and 5 days, which means I’m in the 15th or 16th week? Damn pregnancy calendars. I can’t really tell. What I can tell you [...]
Hitting ‘Publish’ and hoping I don’t regret it
Oh, hi! Internet, now you know.
